Another Long Day!

Today is my father-in-laws birthday and what does he get to do...be my taxi cab and babysitter.  The day started out with having physical therapy at 9:00 and then scheduling my November physical therapy appointments.  We then went over to get lab work done at 9:30 so that they could check my INR level which is how they decided how much blood thinner medication I need.  It turned out to be 2.5 which is great so another month until I have to have that done.  I then checked in for my 9:50 appointment since I woke up with an earache Thursday and it was still bothering me and I needed to give my primary doctor an update on all of the vision issues.  He checked out the ear and said it was the worst he had seen this morning and I needed an antibiotic but it will mess up my blood levels so it will take awhile for them to get back to normal.  I talked with him about the current vision issues and the plan to go down to Oklahoma.  He decided to have another MRA scheduled and that way I could take it down to that doctor as well.  I went to visit with the scheduling department and they set it up for Monday.  I had to go back to get some more lab work done before I could have the MRA done.  We got everything taken care of at the clinic and now it is time to get our costumes on for the fall parties at school.  Once again another long day in the life of appointments, kids and commitments.  I keep plugging away and even in the midst of the craziness God continues to remind me to slow down, take a deep breath, and look to see what new things He has laid before me.

Back at the Dr.

Today my mother-in-law took to me back to Dr. Park at Envision, the Low Vision Rehabilitiation building, to try out the new lenses that they thought may work for me.  Well I have to say that there was some good news and some bad news.

Good News-Dr. Park would like to refer me to a Dr. Farris who is a Neuro Opthamologist in Oklahoma City to get another opinion in regards to my condition.  He raved over this man and also noted that he has a strong faith and that we wouldn't be disappointed if we went down there.

Bad News-they tested my eyes once again for a few hours and they are not improving and even getting worse.  The prism lenses that they were going to try aren't going to seem to work out.

I felt encouraged to check out this new specialist and yet my mother-in-law did witness some emotion start to come out when I felt like surely they could have something in that huge building to help me see my boys with normal faces.  I really get tired of seeing my children with three eyes when I know they are continuing to grow and change.

I had to take a moment and collect myself and I have come to the conclusion that God made my boys look SO much alike that when I look at Parker I know inside just what he looks like since I remember what Coop looked like.  I feel that God has given me to of the most precious kids and I couldn't be more blessed.  They act identical and even have a freckle in the same place.

Eye Status

Yesterday I received a call from Dr. Park at Envision and he asked me to come in today.  He said that he had discovered something and so he wanted to show it to me and explain a little more as to what my eyes are doing.  I was worried at first to find a ride since it was on such short notice but once again friends and family always step up and get me to where I need to be no matter what.  Once I got in there they decided to test me once again to see if there were any changes and it seems that there is still really a big problem with my eyes working together.  He explained that they have a hard enough time working individually with the blind area in each eye and then when you try and have them work together it creates another problem.  At my last appointment he used a camera to take a picture of my eyes and this is what he wanted to show me.  He brought over a laptop and showed me the picture that he had taken and how the white flash that shows up in the pupil of our eyes had shown up in different areas in each of mine.  On the left eye the white area was pointing towards my nose as far as it could and the right eye was tilted out in another direction.  This is what is causing the double vision near and far as they can't seem to work together or converge.  He said there is significant esotropia with my eyes.  They are planning on trying some lenses to help out with the double vision so we will wait and see.

Appointments, Appointments, Appointments!

This week alone I had 7 appointments to go to and I was truly blessed to have such wonderful help in getting to those appointments and with the kiddoes. GG (Nic's Grandma) is truly an amazing woman and helps out so much each week as she still does our laundry since it is a lot to haul it up and down the stairs with a funky leg. She also takes me to the store and watches the boys. My mom also helped out this week and spent 3 days with us since the appointment schedule was so full. I am so blessed with such a wonderful family. Tamara (family friend) came over to play and watch the kiddoes for me a few times this week as well. Thank so much everyone who has helped along the way.

Monday-get stuff ready for Cooper's birthday party.
Tuesday-Cooper at pre-school and prize day for great behavior along with a few errands to run. Eye appointment with Dr. Gordon.
Wednesday-Physical therapy and mom comes to help out around the house.
Thursday-Cooper at pre-school with show & tell, fire truck visit, & yellow day. 7:30am mental evaluation for 2 1/2 hours and Nic at Volleyball in Wellington until late.
Friday-Eye appointment with Dr. Park, Occupational therapy, Lab work and Physical therapy.

Wow what a week. To give you a quick update...my vision has gotten worse in order to get better. I am now having double vision up close and at a distance so I have been told that this is a good thing since the brain seems to be waking up. They are working on a pair of lenses for me to help me for a short amount of time until the brain can work with the eyes to line up everything. Dr. Park is going to talk with Dr. Gordon and they will call me on Monday or Tuesday to let me know the plan and when I need to go back in. I am feeling pretty good with some pressure at times in the head, but nothing I can't handle. The double vision is hard to get used to, but I am told that it will get better. Patience is what I need and for most of you I may seem patient, but inside I am screaming. The Lord is still at work and I am still learning so much from Him. Nic and I also joined a new bible study and it is teaching me about God's crazy love that He has for us. I am also learning how to listen not only to the words Nic reads for me in the book, but at our amazing Father who loves us so much.